1. Field of the Related Art
The present disclosure relates to print management systems and paper-reducing technologies, and more particularly, to a method and system for analyzing task tracking data by utilizing pre-existing governance rules and policies.
2. Background of the Related Art
Organizations such as business enterprises, educational, government and medical institutions often have large expenditures relating to printing paper documents, and often experience difficulty with control over the flow of information by printed documents, as the print volume of multifunctional systems has risen sharply in recent years. In the printing context, the main issue is that the cost-per-page of high-performance multifunctional systems. In most entities, attempts to control high-performance multifunctional system print volumes and the associated cost increases have been largely unsuccessful. To make matters worse, potential environmental issues with high-performance multifunctional system are becoming a concern. Resolving these issues is a top priority among IT professionals and the corporations that employ a plurality of MFDs for their business needs.
Furthermore, photocopiers continue to advance in terms of the functionality and flexibility they provide. For example, rather than being stand alone machines as they once were, many copy machines now have digital processing capabilities and network interfaces which allow them to be connected to a computer network. This provides a variety of advantages. Once such advantage is that the copiers may be used as multi-function devices (MFDs) not only for performing traditional photocopying, but also for printing documents generated by computers connected to the network. Moreover, where copiers are connected to a computer network, it becomes possible to collect status and usage information from the computers remotely via a network server or other network terminal. Another advantageous aspect of having networked copiers or MFDs is the ability to monitor and account for the usage of such MFDs.
In general, a MFD operates as a plurality of different imaging devices, including, but not limited to, a printer, copier, fax machine, and/or scanner. In recent years the basic office copier has evolved into what can be referred to as a MFD. With digital technology, a machine with the basic outward appearance of a traditional copier can perform at least the additional functions of printing documents submitted in digital form over a network, sending and receiving messages via facsimile, recording hard-copy original images in digital form and sending the resulting data over a network, such as in electronic mail and/or recording hard-copy original images in digital form on a compact disc or equivalent medium.
In the area of digital printing and copying, there has been a growth in demand for MFDs. Such MFD devices may assume the form of an arrangement in which a single print engine (e.g., xerographic or thermal ink jet print engine) is coupled with a plurality of different image input devices (or “services”), with such devices being adapted to produce image related information for use by the printer or transmitted over a network. The image related information, in one example, could have its origin in video facsimile signals, microfilm, data processing information, light scanning platens for full size documents, aperture cards, and microfiche. MFDs provide a broader range of functionality than traditional single-function devices, such as dedicated printers, copiers, and scanners. As a result, because of their network transmission capabilities combined with their functionality, it would be useful to efficiently analyze, for example, print job tracking data related to a plurality of MFDs.
Various conventional print management systems include modules that capture billing information for organizations to allocate cost within the organization or to bill clients with photocopying costs. Other systems monitor and limit print behavior by users. For example, only certain individuals may be permitted to process expensive print jobs such as multicolor printing or very large print jobs. However, such systems simply place limits on user behavior in order to reduce cost and do not track, for example, print jobs, based on a set of pre-established rules and policies.
Despite the advances in electronic document storage in recent years, paper based documents are still required for many reasons by businesses, including readability and record maintenance. As a result, the use of MFDs is extensive and growing. The costs associated with MFDs can be significantly high, especially for color printing, and it may therefore be extremely beneficial to many businesses to know what their printer resource usage is so that the costs associated therewith may be determined for accounting purposes.
Thus, as office printer manufacturers market more color printing capability in the enterprise office environment, customers desire assurances from their managed output service providers that access to MFDs with color producing capabilities is being tracked and controlled, as color printing is typically more expensive than black and white printing. Additionally, customers desire insight into who is generating color volume, so that overages can be charged back to individuals or departments. Moreover, customers desire governance/control over who can print and copy in color. Often, these assurances are part of the service level agreement that the managed output service provider has with the customer. Thus, it is desirable that output management solutions are managed correctly to ensure effective governance since any gaps in governance could result in missed cost savings. However, detecting gaps in coverage can be problematic and time consuming for administrators of output management solutions.
Consequently, in conventional systems, there is no method for automatically checking for gaps in output governance (i.e., inconsistencies between users, MFDs, and pre-established rules and policies relating to the users and the MFDs). Thus, current systems lack the capability to effectively analyze, for example, print job tracking data. The present disclosure is intended to overcome the drawbacks of other methods by providing for an effective print/scan/copy/fax job tracking system and method by utilizing pre-existing governance rules and policies related to the plurality of users and the plurality of MFDs.